Posted on Sep 15, 2021
Prove it, hospital asks unvaccinated employees claiming religious exemption
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An attestation form from Conway (Ark.) Regional Health System asks employees requesting a religious exemption from the hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate to confirm they will not use certain everyday medications, such as Benadryl, Sudafed and Tylenol, in alignment with their sincerely held religious belief.
On Aug. 12, Conway Regional, which includes Conway Regional Medical Center, announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, with accommodations for medical and religious exemptions. The hospital said employees requesting a medical and/or religious exemption must complete an exemption request form, and its COVID-19 vaccine exemption request policy is similar to the one it has for the flu vaccine.
Matt Troup, president and CEO of Conway Regional Health System, told Becker's that hospital officials began receiving exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine and noted an increase in requests citing the use of fetal cell lines to develop and test the vaccines.
"This was significantly disproportionate to what we've seen with the influenza vaccine. Thus, we provided a religious attestation form for those individuals requesting a religious exemption," he said. "The intent of the religious attestation form is twofold: to ensure staff requesting exemption are sincere in their beliefs and to educate staff who might have requested an exemption without understanding the full scope of how fetal cells are used in testing and development in common medicines."
Conway Regional said the form also aims to notify employees of the requirements for compliance for an exemption, including signing the attestation form confirming their sincerely held belief, being subject to periodic COVID-19 testing, and possible reassignment to another position to mitigate risk to patients and staff.
The form lists 30 medications and asks employees to "truthfully acknowledge and affirm that my sincerely held religious belief is consistent and true and I do not use or will use any of the medications listed as examples or any other medication … that has used fetal cell lines in their development and/or testing."
Few religions outright reject vaccinations, but some religious groups have taken issue with vaccines being developed and tested on fetal cell lines, which are grown in labs based on aborted fetal cells, according to 9News, which spoke with an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
"I understand why people have concerns," James Lawler, MD, the expert, who is a practicing Catholic, told the news station. "The bottom line is almost all the medical products we use have in some way been touched by research that's been done on fetal cell lines."
Mr. Troup said the purpose of the form is to be educational and "provide information on other commonly used medications that may go against a sincerely held religious belief."
If someone declines to sign the form, he said their religious exemption is approved on a provisional basis, and the employee may be asked to sign the form at a later date.
He said several employees seeking a religious exemption have signed the attestation, but for those who do not, Conway Regional deems that, amid the circumstances of the pandemic, it is not able to accommodate some exemption requests in the future.
"Part of our intent in granting a provisional exemption is to let staff know that we may not be able to extend this provisional status indefinitely. Any steps taken will be consistent with [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] guidelines," said Mr. Troup.
Conway Regional's vaccine requirement deadline for employees is Oct. 8. The health system has about 1,830 employees, and as of Sept. 14, about 5 percent had requested a religious or medical exemption.
On Aug. 12, Conway Regional, which includes Conway Regional Medical Center, announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, with accommodations for medical and religious exemptions. The hospital said employees requesting a medical and/or religious exemption must complete an exemption request form, and its COVID-19 vaccine exemption request policy is similar to the one it has for the flu vaccine.
Matt Troup, president and CEO of Conway Regional Health System, told Becker's that hospital officials began receiving exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine and noted an increase in requests citing the use of fetal cell lines to develop and test the vaccines.
"This was significantly disproportionate to what we've seen with the influenza vaccine. Thus, we provided a religious attestation form for those individuals requesting a religious exemption," he said. "The intent of the religious attestation form is twofold: to ensure staff requesting exemption are sincere in their beliefs and to educate staff who might have requested an exemption without understanding the full scope of how fetal cells are used in testing and development in common medicines."
Conway Regional said the form also aims to notify employees of the requirements for compliance for an exemption, including signing the attestation form confirming their sincerely held belief, being subject to periodic COVID-19 testing, and possible reassignment to another position to mitigate risk to patients and staff.
The form lists 30 medications and asks employees to "truthfully acknowledge and affirm that my sincerely held religious belief is consistent and true and I do not use or will use any of the medications listed as examples or any other medication … that has used fetal cell lines in their development and/or testing."
Few religions outright reject vaccinations, but some religious groups have taken issue with vaccines being developed and tested on fetal cell lines, which are grown in labs based on aborted fetal cells, according to 9News, which spoke with an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
"I understand why people have concerns," James Lawler, MD, the expert, who is a practicing Catholic, told the news station. "The bottom line is almost all the medical products we use have in some way been touched by research that's been done on fetal cell lines."
Mr. Troup said the purpose of the form is to be educational and "provide information on other commonly used medications that may go against a sincerely held religious belief."
If someone declines to sign the form, he said their religious exemption is approved on a provisional basis, and the employee may be asked to sign the form at a later date.
He said several employees seeking a religious exemption have signed the attestation, but for those who do not, Conway Regional deems that, amid the circumstances of the pandemic, it is not able to accommodate some exemption requests in the future.
"Part of our intent in granting a provisional exemption is to let staff know that we may not be able to extend this provisional status indefinitely. Any steps taken will be consistent with [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] guidelines," said Mr. Troup.
Conway Regional's vaccine requirement deadline for employees is Oct. 8. The health system has about 1,830 employees, and as of Sept. 14, about 5 percent had requested a religious or medical exemption.
Prove it, hospital asks unvaccinated employees claiming religious exemption
Posted from beckershospitalreview.com
Religion
Healthcare
Coronavirus COVID19
Public Health
Health
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 9
6
6
0
Tell them to pound sand. You don't have to attest to anything or prove anything.
Your religious belief is yours and yours alone. Your relationship with God is between you and God.
No one. NO ONE. Has the right to make you attest to your beliefs and then prove it.
What next, are they going to trot in some lions and have you prove your faith by tying you to a post for the lions to gnaw on? After all, if you were a true believer God would intervene and save you. A true Christian would have no qualms with this little 'test'. [Sarcasm Off]. This is insane.
In fact, I think we having something in the Constitution about religious litmus tests that strictly prohibits this. Article VI specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. I know it is aimed at public office, but the meaning is pretty clear. We don't want a society that uses religious litmus tests.
They are on extremely shaking legal ground making employees attest like this. What next? A note from your pastor saying you attend services weekly and are tithing 10% annually? These chuckle heads are so far out of their lane it isn't funny.
I smell class action law suits. Class action law suits everywhere.
Your religious belief is yours and yours alone. Your relationship with God is between you and God.
No one. NO ONE. Has the right to make you attest to your beliefs and then prove it.
What next, are they going to trot in some lions and have you prove your faith by tying you to a post for the lions to gnaw on? After all, if you were a true believer God would intervene and save you. A true Christian would have no qualms with this little 'test'. [Sarcasm Off]. This is insane.
In fact, I think we having something in the Constitution about religious litmus tests that strictly prohibits this. Article VI specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. I know it is aimed at public office, but the meaning is pretty clear. We don't want a society that uses religious litmus tests.
They are on extremely shaking legal ground making employees attest like this. What next? A note from your pastor saying you attend services weekly and are tithing 10% annually? These chuckle heads are so far out of their lane it isn't funny.
I smell class action law suits. Class action law suits everywhere.
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Maj (Join to see)
The employee is definitely free to tell them that, just as the employer is free to terminate their employment.
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Maj (Join to see)
SFC Bernard Walko - They haven't asked the employee about any of the EEOC protected classes here either. The letter is supposedly given to an employee who has already expressed that they would like to claim a religious exemption. The letter does not ask the employee to disclose anything other than an attestation that other medications fall into the same circumstances for which they are claiming religious exemption from the COVID vaccine.
1. The employee claims a religious exemption to the vaccine.
2. The employer provides the letter and requests that they sign it acknowledging that other medications also have the same characteristics that caused the employee to claim religious exemption from the vaccine.
3. The employee continues to be employed and is regularly tested for COVID or transferred to a position where they do not interact with patients.
1. The employee claims a religious exemption to the vaccine.
2. The employer provides the letter and requests that they sign it acknowledging that other medications also have the same characteristics that caused the employee to claim religious exemption from the vaccine.
3. The employee continues to be employed and is regularly tested for COVID or transferred to a position where they do not interact with patients.
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Col Jim Harmon
On this issue we will simply agree to disagree.
I see the employers action asking the employee to 'attest' an oath not to use other medications as a religious litmus test. I won't attest to anyone about my religious beliefs. They are mine. You won't dissuade me to alter them, nor will I prove to you that I believe what I believe.
Fire me. I still won't alter my beliefs. I am going through this exact process as I write this. My last day of employment will be October 15. I will not surrender my beliefs for the sake of a job.
I do have a religious objection to this vaccine. In fact all currently available vaccines were developed using foetal harvesting and cell lines developed from aborted fetus. I believe abortion is murder. I will not support it, nor will I use any vaccine developed as a byproduct from this process. I am willing to put my convictions to this belief before my job.
Jobs come and go. My beliefs, my relationship with God, is eternal.
To those above wishing death upon others for not taking the vaccine over a religious objection...... you sir are scum. Plain and simple. To wish death upon a fellow American citizen because they don't think like you, marks you as a person of low moral fiber and even lower intelligence.
You are someone I wouldn't trust anywhere near me under any condition.
I see the employers action asking the employee to 'attest' an oath not to use other medications as a religious litmus test. I won't attest to anyone about my religious beliefs. They are mine. You won't dissuade me to alter them, nor will I prove to you that I believe what I believe.
Fire me. I still won't alter my beliefs. I am going through this exact process as I write this. My last day of employment will be October 15. I will not surrender my beliefs for the sake of a job.
I do have a religious objection to this vaccine. In fact all currently available vaccines were developed using foetal harvesting and cell lines developed from aborted fetus. I believe abortion is murder. I will not support it, nor will I use any vaccine developed as a byproduct from this process. I am willing to put my convictions to this belief before my job.
Jobs come and go. My beliefs, my relationship with God, is eternal.
To those above wishing death upon others for not taking the vaccine over a religious objection...... you sir are scum. Plain and simple. To wish death upon a fellow American citizen because they don't think like you, marks you as a person of low moral fiber and even lower intelligence.
You are someone I wouldn't trust anywhere near me under any condition.
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I was a little surprised to see this and thought it a hoax at first. Conway has a bit of a religious bent to it in the area. I'm guessing it became a thing because they had several folks trying to claim religious exemption as a quick cop out for being required to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. It seems that religious exemptions have become the "get out of jail free card" as of late.
We just passed 50% vaccination rate in the state and were one of the worst hot spots for case surges. At one point a few weeks ago, we had zero remaining ICU beds in the state. I'd hate to have a real need and be turned away because the ICUs were full of folks who refused vaccinations.
We just passed 50% vaccination rate in the state and were one of the worst hot spots for case surges. At one point a few weeks ago, we had zero remaining ICU beds in the state. I'd hate to have a real need and be turned away because the ICUs were full of folks who refused vaccinations.
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SSG Edward Tilton
Why would they even hire someone who could not be immunized? What about smallpox, polio.
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Maj (Join to see)
SSG Edward Tilton - I think this is more targeted at the current employees who are refusing the vaccine. I'm not sure the justification behind this at Conway Regional, but it definitely calls out the folks claiming religious exemption when they don't fully comprehend the situation.
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Maj (Join to see)
SFC Bernard Walko - I completely agree. However, if the capacity isn't there someone will need to go without. I've seen healthcare folks run ragged around here. I know they are giving far more than they can sustain over the long haul. Things are starting to break.
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